Dark Dawn
by Cori Shadowfang
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a boy who walked into the sky. Riku wanted to follow in his footsteps.


_ So, this monster was done because of two reasons. 1: I was feeling stressed out by real life, and needed a way to vent. 2: I was never fond of Riku in KH1, so I was trying to see if I could like him better. So, yes, weirdness abounds in this one-shot! Hope it's enjoyable enough, though. A note: a bolded word means a time shift._

* * *

**_"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us." - Marianne Williamson_**

* * *

When he was a boy, Riku heard stories of someone who left the islands.

"What was he like, Mom?"

The woman smiled down at her son. His father, from across the room, snorted in amusement as his mother continued, stroking his white hair in that manner he claimed to hate (but he secretly loved; not that he'd tall anyone.) "Oh, a lot like you. Strong. Brave. And always curious about the unknown."

"Is that why he left? Because he was curious?"

His mother smiled mysteriously. "No one believed he could do it. They said it was foolish of him to try. But he never listened to them. Always, he believed in himself. Always, he believed in his own power. And do you know what happened?"  
He did, but he shook his head anyways, playing along.

"He made a path into the sky. And he walked right up it and into the unknown."

"Into the sky?"

"Yes. Who knows, maybe he's still exploring there today."

Riku absorbed the story, looking down at his little hands with a frown. "Mom, do you think I could walk into the sky someday?"

Laughter echoed from both parents, polite and humoring from his mother, far more boisterous from his father. "You can do anything, Riku. Just believe in yourself."

And so he resolved that he'd go on adventures of his own.

** When **Riku saw the man standing on the beach, he knew there was something different about him. "Hey. Did you come from the outside world?"

The man - _boy, like the story_ - seemed startled, flustered. "Huh? Why would you say that?"

"Because nobody lives out here, and I know you're not from the main island."

"Smart kid. So how about you? What are you doing here?"

Warming up to the stranger, Riku replied, "Oh, my friend's dad took us out on the boat. This is where we like to play, but they won't let us row out here by ourselves, not until we get older."

"Must be hard, huh, stuck in one place."

The words sent a note through him, a memory, a fire, a drive. He walked forward, the story pouring out of his mouth as if it were an attempt to prove the man wrong, that he wasn't stuck. "I heard once there was a kid who left for good." He stopped at the waterline. Deciding to take initiative, he turned towards the boy. "So how did you get here, anyway?"

The brown-haired boy was giving him an odd look, as if he'd seen something that Riku had missed. He resisted the urge to check himself as the boy responded. "Is there some reason you're interested in the outside world?"

He looked away, thinking about his resolve. "Yeah. I want to be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world - I bet he's really strong now. I know it's out there somewhere - the strength that I need."

"Strength for what?"

"To protect the things that matter."

And when the man confirmed what he already knew, and extended that strange key-shaped blade, Riku knew - without a doubt - that he would one day see the outside world.

** When **Kairi came, Riku wasn't sure what to think of her.

Sora seemed fascinated by her, claiming she fell out of the sky during the meteor shower.

Riku thought that sounded like the story he'd always heard, a kept his distance from some sense of unease.

** When **Sora introduced Riku to the secret spot, claiming there was a monster in there, he was skeptical, though not completely without fear. After all, if a man could come from the outside world, and a boy could walk into the sky - _and a girl fall out of it _- then couldn't a monster live in a cave?

What they found instead was a door.

A door with a keyhole that only Riku could see.

And though he was frightened, somehow he knew this was related to the boy from before. That this was important.

That this was a sign he'd reach the outside world.

** When **Kairi was well enough to move, Sora invited her to go with them to the play island. She'd seemed hesitant, but followed on the boy's insistence. The three of them sat in the rocking boat, piloted by Sora's dad. Sora himself stood at the prow, cheering and whooping, looking back at the two other kids to chatter to them. His father chided him whenever he got to rough. Kairi sat quietly, hunched up with her hands between he knees. Riku sat a short distance away from her, awkward, but trying to respond to his friend's enthusiastic words.

When they pulled up alongside the dock, Sora jumped out, stamping impatiently for the others to follow. Riku came, but Kairi had to be coerced out, with Sora's dad soothing her and telling her that it'd be okay if she just wanted to go back - _Sora can be a bit too enthusiastic at times, he said._ She shook her head, hesitatingly getting out and heading shyly after the boys.

Sora tried admirably to get her into their games; he really did. But Kairi was still to uncomfortable, and Riku still felt ill-at ease around her.

"Hey, I know! Let's race!"

Riku gave his friend a funny smile. "But I always beat you."

"Not this time, you won't! Come on, let's go."

He gave in to his friend's urging with a sigh.

"On three! You too, Kairi, okay? One, two, three!" Sora shot off, Riku quickly outpacing him.

It wasn't until both boys made it to poapu tree that they realized Kairi wasn't following. Looking back, Riku realized she'd collapsed on the sand, crying. "Hey!" All inhibitions forgotten, he raced back towards her, Sora hard on his heels.

"Hey," Sora panted before him, "what's wrong?"

"I-I, I don't know." Kairi just continued to sob. "Something bad happened. And it hurts right here." She tapped her chest.

Riku stared, unsure what to do, feeling oddly helpless. "Maybe someone connected to your heart is crying," he whispered, remembering something he'd told Sora before.

"Oh, yeah." Sora grinned that goofy grin of his. "It's okay; that happened to me, too."

The girl sniffed, looking up at him with watery blue eyes. "R-really?"

"Yep. I just had to reach out to them, is all!"

"Will that make it better?"

"I don't know. It did for me." He folded his hands behind his head - and odd habit, Riku noticed, that he'd picked up - and his grin broadened, if that were possible. "But if it doesn't, that's okay. It'll get better eventually."

Kairi finally smiled at them. "You're pretty smart."

"Naw, Riku's the smart one. He told me most of that stuff."

Riku looked away, awkward, but kind of happy for the praise. "It's not that big a deal."

He wondered, though. He was able to help Sora, but he'd had no clue how to help Kairi. Sora did just by being Sora. Did that mean he wasn't strong enough yet?

Well, he'd have to get strong. He'd have to _believe _he could be strong.

** Kairi **was from another world.

He wasn't sure when he realized this fact - actually, he thought he knew it all along - but once he did, his nervousness changed to curiosity. He wanted to talk to her, to get to know her. He wanted to know what the outside world was like.

But talking about it would hurt Kairi, wouldn't it? So he'd just have to settle for being her friend and learning indirectly.

Of course, Sora, being Sora, was able to bond with her much quicker. Riku didn't know why, but he was almost jealous.

** When **Riku found carvings on the wall of the Secret Place, he knew Sora had shown Kairi. _How is he so much closer to her?_ He traced along the carvings with a frown. He crushed the jealousy that rose, angry that he'd feel that way towards his friend. _It's my job to protect him, not hurt him._

But he was still a little angry that they'd drawn on the walls here, of all places. After all, this was the place where that keyhole - _the world's heart, a voice whispered _- rested, and he didn't think anyone should mess with that. But they hadn't meant any harm, had they? Besides, it'd sound weird to chastise them for this. What could he say? _There's something only I can see in there, but it's really important, so you can't draw there?_ He felt guilty, but he decided to let it go.

** When **Riku was ten, he started thinking - _really _thinking - about building his road into the sky. The games with Sora and Kairi weren't good enough; he had to start finding a way to fulfill his destiny.

He wasn't sure when he'd started thinking of it as destiny - maybe when that man had come.

But he'd take his friends with him, that was for sure. They were the most important things to him. He couldn't imagine leaving them behind.

** "We'll **always have each other, right?"

"Yeah, Sora. We'll have each others backs."

"And I'll be there to make sure you two don't get into trouble."

_ Kairi._

** When **Riku realized he was starting to think of Kairi as more than a friend and a curious member of another world, he thought he was going insane.

_ She's pretty. Beautiful, even. And the nicest person I know._

_ What am I thinking? Besides, she likes Sora better._

That old jealousy flared inside him.

He pushed it away, buried it, refused to acknowledge it.

** He **couldn't build a road into the sky. It was impossible, he decided, or he just couldn't find the means.

_ Do I really have the strength to do this?_

Yes, he decided, don't even think that way, he reminded. Believe in yourself; believe in what you do.

So if he couldn't walk into the sky, he could find another way.

** "We **should build a raft."

He didn't look at his friends, but he could imagine the stares they were giving him. "A raft? What for?" Sora asked.

"To go to the outside world."

"The outside world?"

He leveled his eyes at his friends, trying to convey all the passion and confidence he felt for this venture - felt since he was a little kid - to them. "Yeah. Don't you want to see something besides the islands? It'll take us there. All of us."

His gaze lingered on Kairi longer than he'd intended, and he jerked it away.

He could tell they didn't believe him; they were humoring him, but they trusted him, because he was their leader. That was okay. He just had to believe in himself. This was his destiny, after all. And now, theirs, too.

** Riku** had taken up sparing with Sora to prepare himself for the journey. Sora, he knew, thought it was just a game, but he didn't think that way, couldn't. If he did, then who would protect all of them when they were in the outside world?

** He **didn't understand it.

He was better than Sora at everything; sword-fighting, running, school. Motivation. _Leadership._ So why was she always hanging around _him_? Wasn't the hero supposed to get the girl?

_ Don't think that way._

** When **the raft neared completion, Kairi suggested telling their parents.

Riku shot the idea down.

"Why not?" Kairi protested.

"They'll just stop us from going. We'll leave notes so they won't worry." He tried to smile soothingly at her.

"Come on, Kairi," Sora interjected with a smile. "Everything will be okay."

And when she smiled back, Riku wondered how _he _could make he feel that way.

_** He's **__lazy. He hardly did anything on the raft._

_ He's my friend. He's loyal._

_ He's too laid-back_

_ I'm loyal to him._

_ He's weak._

_ I'll protect him._

_** She **__could get hurt._

_ I'll never let that happen._

_** Will **__the raft take us far enough, or will we just float around on the same world?_

_ Then I'll find another way to build that bridge to the sky._

** When **he went to the door that night of the storm, he hadn't known what he was thinking. He just knew he needed a way out of here, off this world. He had a destiny to fulfill; he couldn't just sit around waiting for it to happen.

So when the darkness came, he saw it as a blessing.

A part of him realized this was bad; a part of him rebelled. Most of him, however, was unafraid, excited, ready. The giant ball that hovered in the air, he called that. That showed he was strong. _See, Mom, Dad? I'm about to walk into the sky._

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"

"The door has opened…"

"What?"

How could he not understand? _The keyhole, he couldn't see the keyhole. He wasn't 'chosen.'_ "The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!"

"What are you talking about? We've got to find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us!" Sora backed off, and for a moment, Riku thought, _really _thought, about what would happened.

But he wasn't changing his mind. He'd made his decision a long time ago.

"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

He reached out a hand. The darkness pooled around him, Sora, swirling to cover him. Sora looked frightened, but _he _wasn't; he would protect them. They wouldn't be hurt by the darkness. By anything.

_ Take my hand, Sora._

But their hands never met, and Riku had to wonder, as the darkness enclosed him, if his friend didn't trust him.

** When **Riku woke up, he was disoriented, confused. He didn't know where he was, or what happened, or why something felt so _wrong._ But he did know that there were two people missing.

_ Sora. Kairi._

_ No. No, no, no!_ He'd promised to protect them. How could he do that if they weren't here?

_ Protect the things that matter._

He had to find them.

** When **the dark creatures attacked, he realized he was helpless without a weapon. _A key, a blade, like that man had._

"Would you like some help, dear boy?"

He whipped around. The voice came from a woman, shifty in appearance, an aura of power wreathing her. "Who are you?"

"Maybe a benefactor." Green flames ate up one of the dark creatures, exploding it.

Riku stared at it, then at the cuts on his body, then at the other dark creatures. _I'm still weak. I need to be stronger._

He'd do anything to be stronger.

He had things he needed to do.

"Help me."

The witch grinned. "Then with my darkness, I'll allow you to manifest a weapon from your heart.

A weapon, a sword - _something not-quite-right, not a key, not a blade - _materialized in his hands. It hungered for the hearts, the darkness, for the blood of these things standing in front of him.

He cut them down easily. _You won't get in my way. I need to find them. My weakness won't stop me!_

"Stick with me, boy. And I'll tell you everything you need to know."

** When **the witch - Maleficent - told him she'd found Sora, he was elated. "Where is he? Is Kairi with him? Are they alright?"

"I'm afraid he has other friends now, dear boy."

"What are you talking about?"

"You always thought you had to protect him, didn't you?"

He didn't answer; the answer was obvious.

"He doesn't need you to protect him anymore."

_ Lie, lie, lie._

"And he has new friends that aren't so overbearing."

_ Lie, Lie, LIE._

** When **Riku found Sora again, he was being attacked by those monsters, the Heartless. Riku cut them down without even thinking, ripping them to shreds for daring to think to hurt one of his friends. He hid his relief, trying to act nonchalant at Sora's shocked expression. "There you are. What's going on?"

"Riku."

Then he did something he didn't expect, though he probably should have; Sora tugged on his cheeks. "Hey, hey, cut it out."

"I'm not dreaming this time, right?"

"I hope not. Took forever to find you."

Sora just smiled, his voice an odd note. "Riku!"

_ He has new friends that aren't so overbearing._

Riku turned away, walking off with Sora and these…these 'new friends' that he had.

"Wait a second, where's Kairi?"

"Isn't she with you?"

Sora's lowered head was an answer of its own.

To reassure Sora as much as himself, he responded, "Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island, too. We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now. We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this-"

The sound of something being cut drew his attention. Turning around, he saw Sora holding a weapon that resembled a sword, a key.

_ He doesn't need you to protect him anymore._

"Leave it to who?"

"Sora, what did you-"

"I've been looking for you, and Kairi, too, with their help."

_ And he has new friends that aren't so overbearing._

"Who are they?"

The anthromorphic duck spoke up. "Ahem. My name is-"

Sora interrupted. "We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you."

"Really?" We _were supposed to do that. You, me, and Kairi._ "Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed."

The dog added his own words. "Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade master."

"Who would've thought it?" the duck added.

"What's that mean?!"

Somehow, he felt unwanted. But the weapon, that weapon that Sora held before; it was calling to him. It reminded him of the one that man, that boy, had shown him so many years before. He picked it up, and it felt familiar, comfortable, in his hands. "So, this is called a Keyblade?"

"Huh?" Sora looked at his hand, only just realizing he'd lost his toy. "Hey, give it back."

Riku jumped out of reach, studying the weapon intently, almost unwilling to give it up. _Was this supposed to be mine?_ "Catch."

And Riku, feeling distinctly unwanted as the duck and Sora began fighting, left.

** "You **see? It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, he now values them far more than he does you."

_ lies, lies, lie…_

"You're better off without that wretched boy."

_ lie…_

"Now think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for."

_ Truth._

** When **Maleficent brought Kairi to him - broken and quite and soulless - for a while Riku didn't know what to do, and he just sat by her bed.

_ I tried to make a path by sea, but that wouldn't work._

_ I tried to make a road to the sky, but that has destroyed the person I care about most._

_ What road is left to me now?_

** When **Maleficent offered the opportunity for him to save Kairi, return her heart, he jumped at the chance. Even if it meant taking more people's hearts to do it.

** "Pinocchio, **stop fooling around. This is no time for games."

Riku almost seethed when he heard those words. He had to take a few moments to collect himself - _What were you doing while Kairi was getting hurt, when Kairi lost her heart?_ "But Sora, I thought you liked games. Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?"

** "Why **do you still care about that boy? He has all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all."

_ Not a lie._

"I don't care about him. I was just messing with him a little."

_ Lie._

** "Riku.** What's the matter with you? What are you thinking? Don't you realize what you're doing?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora."

_** I don't **__need you, Sora._

_ You don't care._

_ I'm strong enough to do this on my own._

_ "We'll always have each other, right?"_

Lie.

** When **Riku returned to Kairi, he just sat by her, sometimes watching her for signs of movement, sometimes staring into space.

Sora didn't care. He was busy trying to play the hero.

Kairi's heart was gone.

There was just Riku.

_ Weak, incompetent._

He had to be stronger. He needed more strength.

He remembered Maleficent, how she used darkness to help him create his Soul Eater.

_ Yes._

He would make his path out of darkness.

** When **Riku saw Sora again on that ship, he wanted to prove how strong he was. He showed him the shadows; he showed him Kairi. _I can control the darkness!_

Sora was not the hero; that was _his _destiny. _He _was the one who'd thought to go to the outside world. _He _was the one that man had chosen.

_ He was the one who would-_

** When **Riku brought Kairi to safety - _away from him, away from HIM_ - he didn't even stop to think about using the darkness. It was his path, he could control it. It wouldn't harm him.

Then why did it hurt so much?

_ Weak, still too weak._

** "My **boy, only the Chosen One can change the world. Only the Keyblade can save the girl."

"I see."

And then there was a man, a boy, with a weapon - _a Keyblade _- holding it out to Riku, who accepted. Who knew he was the rightful wielder of that weapon Sora had.

Sora couldn't save Kairi.

But Riku could.

It was part of his destiny.

** "So, **you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you."

How did he feel when he saw his friend this time? Angry, content, sad, happy, relieved? No. _Victorious._

"We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you."

"Riku…"

He sounded sad. How dare he? He betrayed him; he didn't have the right to sound sad.

"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters."

"What are you talking about?"

The keyhole, the man, the path to the sky.

_ You don't know anything. _"Let the Keyblade choose…it's true master!"

And when the Keyblade came to him, he knew his hunch had been correct. "Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me."

_ It's always been up to me._

"Only the Keyblade Master can open the secret door and change the world."

** Riku **was strong. He'd chosen his own path. He believed he was right. He believed in himself. That was what that boy did; he believed in himself, even when everyone was against him, and he walked away into the sky.

So why was he having second thoughts?

No. He was right. He knew it. The darkness in his heart just had to grow, that's all.

_** Why **__did the Keyblade leave me?_

_ Why did it go back to _HIM?

** "Why? **It was mine."

"Know this. The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade."

The voice was strange, unfamiliar, but he turned to it anyways. "What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?" _No, no, no._

_ I want to be strong._

"For that instant, it was. However, you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger."

"What should I do?"

"It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself."

And so he did. And he realized something: this man was the boy he'd tried to imitate, tried to follow.

And he realized something else: this man was far stronger than he was, and fully capable of taking over his body.

And his heart sank down into the darkness he'd once believed himself strong enough to control.

_** There **__once was a boy who believed in himself above all else._

_ He built a road into the sky._

_ But his successor couldn't follow._

_ Who was he to think he could leave the land he was born on, to travel the winds and waves? All he had was darkness._

_** This **__was his destiny. He was supposed to be a hero. He was the one the man chose. What was it worth, now, if he couldn't have that?_

_** "Yeah. **__I want to be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world - I bet he's really strong now. I know it's out there somewhere - the strength that I need."_

_ "Strength for what?"_

_ To…to…_

** Protect the things that matter.**

"You won't…use me for this!"

_ Truth._

** Once **upon a time, there was a boy. This boy wasn't strong, but he wanted to be, so he could watch over his friends. He wanted to go to outside worlds, walking off into the distance like so many did before him. This boy believed it was his destiny.

But this boy lost his way. You see, he thought he was walking through the light, but he never stopped to question if he might have been wrong. He never stopped to wonder if he wasn't being guided through a darkness that his pitiful point of light was only barely illuminating.

All he really wanted was to protect his friends.

Somewhere along the way, he stepped off his land, and into a swirling sea of darkness. He was no longer qualified to be a hero.

But, maybe, he could be one. For a little while.

** When **the door closed, Riku had only one thing to say; "Take care of her."


End file.
